SRAM new 'AXS' for MTB/road
Posted: 6 Feb 2019, 9:47pm
MTB points
* there's a wireless remote control seat post. Perhaps a good practical joke to play during rides?
* the MTB shifters are no longer a pair of levers, but instead buttons. Three buttons, effectively. Basically two for gear shifting, one for your seat post. I don't know if you can do anything else with them, but there's an app, which is the important thing.
* the MTB derailleur (no front, you luddite), has a second clutch, because one clutch is never enough. It's designed to allow the derailleur sideways under impact. This might save your derailleur hanger. Because who needs a £10 derailleur hanger when you can have a £500 derailleur instead?
* it's wireless, using bluetooth.
* there are lots of small, low capacity (25g) batteries to please the same weight weenies who buy this sort of stuff. If they run out during a ride, er, carry a spare? Or take it out of your seat post?
* it's 1x12-speed, like the previous stuff.
The wireless seatpost is around £700 and the MTB drivetrain (shifters, cranks, derailleurs, chain, cassette) is £2000.
https://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/cate ... iew-52443/
On the road:
* it's basically the same as the existing SRAM Red Etap wireless stuff. But a new name. Oh and 12 speeds and a 10t smallest cog.
* Because of the 10t cog, you aren't allowed a chainring bigger than 50t. If you don't want a 10t cog? Well, tough.
* you'll obviously need a XDR freehub to use the 10t cassette
* the 10t cassettes are all machined as a single piece. And they'll cost a fortune. And if you wear out your 10t cog, or break a tooth off, you'll need to throw it away and get a new one.
* there's a chain damper on the rear derailleur, which is designed to cope with chain retention issues on 1x systems.
* the double chainrings are machined as a single piece. This means bigger repair bills and more waste! Hurray!
* even more hilariously, SRAM's solution for power metering (you wouldn't really buy such gubbins without a power meter, let's be honest) is to incorporate the power meter into the chain ring. So when you wear out one chain ring you not only replace your unworn chain ring but also your power meter
* there's a new chain, no doubt also hideously expensive. It has some sort of innovation to cope with the fact that it's a poor engineering solution being unreasonably thin. There's probably some explanation amongst the shilling here: https://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/cat ... iew-52441/
A setup is around £2500 for a 1x with rim brake, or £3350 for a 2x with hydraulic discs. £450 more for power meter.
https://www.cyclist.co.uk/sram12
Perhaps the 2020 version will be SRAM AXS Lemmings edition, with wireless brakes, for those who like to cycle off cliffs unexpectedly, when the pairing or the Bluetooth or the battery is not working.
For the rest of us, well I'm sure we can find something for a tiny fraction of the cost that doesn't require an app & spare batteries just to cycle up the road. Or just get a bike with actually useful motors in, i.e an ebike.
* there's a wireless remote control seat post. Perhaps a good practical joke to play during rides?
* the MTB shifters are no longer a pair of levers, but instead buttons. Three buttons, effectively. Basically two for gear shifting, one for your seat post. I don't know if you can do anything else with them, but there's an app, which is the important thing.
* the MTB derailleur (no front, you luddite), has a second clutch, because one clutch is never enough. It's designed to allow the derailleur sideways under impact. This might save your derailleur hanger. Because who needs a £10 derailleur hanger when you can have a £500 derailleur instead?
* it's wireless, using bluetooth.
* there are lots of small, low capacity (25g) batteries to please the same weight weenies who buy this sort of stuff. If they run out during a ride, er, carry a spare? Or take it out of your seat post?
* it's 1x12-speed, like the previous stuff.
The wireless seatpost is around £700 and the MTB drivetrain (shifters, cranks, derailleurs, chain, cassette) is £2000.
https://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/cate ... iew-52443/
On the road:
* it's basically the same as the existing SRAM Red Etap wireless stuff. But a new name. Oh and 12 speeds and a 10t smallest cog.
* Because of the 10t cog, you aren't allowed a chainring bigger than 50t. If you don't want a 10t cog? Well, tough.
* you'll obviously need a XDR freehub to use the 10t cassette
* the 10t cassettes are all machined as a single piece. And they'll cost a fortune. And if you wear out your 10t cog, or break a tooth off, you'll need to throw it away and get a new one.
* there's a chain damper on the rear derailleur, which is designed to cope with chain retention issues on 1x systems.
* the double chainrings are machined as a single piece. This means bigger repair bills and more waste! Hurray!
* even more hilariously, SRAM's solution for power metering (you wouldn't really buy such gubbins without a power meter, let's be honest) is to incorporate the power meter into the chain ring. So when you wear out one chain ring you not only replace your unworn chain ring but also your power meter
* there's a new chain, no doubt also hideously expensive. It has some sort of innovation to cope with the fact that it's a poor engineering solution being unreasonably thin. There's probably some explanation amongst the shilling here: https://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/cat ... iew-52441/
A setup is around £2500 for a 1x with rim brake, or £3350 for a 2x with hydraulic discs. £450 more for power meter.
https://www.cyclist.co.uk/sram12
Perhaps the 2020 version will be SRAM AXS Lemmings edition, with wireless brakes, for those who like to cycle off cliffs unexpectedly, when the pairing or the Bluetooth or the battery is not working.
For the rest of us, well I'm sure we can find something for a tiny fraction of the cost that doesn't require an app & spare batteries just to cycle up the road. Or just get a bike with actually useful motors in, i.e an ebike.